Randhir slams Malhotra

New Delhi: IOA presidential candidate Randhir Singh has questioned the authority of acting chief V. K. Malhotra to appoint the new chairman of Election Commission for next week’s polls following S. Y. Quraishi's resignation that has evoked sharp reaction from rival Abhay Singh Chautala’s camp.

Randhir has written to Malhotra that he had no mandate to name the replacement of Quraishi who resigned from the chairmanship of the Election Commission on Saturday. Quraishi had said his conscience did not allow him to continue after IOA backtracked on its commitment to follow the Sports Code of the government in the elections.

Randhir contended that the mandate given to Malhotra was only to constitute the initial committee and not to name a replacement in case of any resignations.

“As you are aware, the three member Election Commission had been set up by you on the basis of an authorisation vested in you by a special General Body Meeting of IOA held last month. Such a commission was appointed by you and hence the authorisation given to you has now been exhausted having outlived its mandate and life,” he wrote in the letter.

Randhir asked Malhotra in the letter to approach the Delhi High Court to seek clarification on the “framework under which the elections are to be held”.